Phoenix Flying

by Kaitlin Maitland

“In my line of work, little blighters like that come round every day.” Gabriel tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “Compared to the shite I saw when I was deployed overseas, it’s like stepping on a bug.”

  “Jessa told me you were a Royal Marine.”

  “Alex and I were both captains.” Gabriel remembered meeting the American army man when Alex broke up a bar fight and saved Gabriel from spending the night in prison at Her Majesty’s pleasure. “We were at Molesworth together when Alex was stationed in Britain. Then he got out and came back to the States and I got shipped to Kandahar. Did two tours of duty and then went back home to Huntingdon.” He realized where this was heading and stopped talking. He didn’t want to talk about Franny.

  She rolled to her side and propped her arm on his chest so she could stare into his face. There were no words, but her big dark eyes said she knew there was more to the story than he was telling.

  Gabriel sighed. She’d told him about the mess in her past. How could he do any less? “A few months before I left for Kandahar I met a woman in Huntingdon. Her name was Franny.”

  Anne nibbled her lower lip, her white teeth biting on the luscious pink as if she dreaded what came next. “Did you love her?”

  “I thought I did.” He’d often wondered about that. Sometimes he felt as though he was lonely rather than in love when he proposed to Franny. How could a man walk away from a woman he loved? Shouldn’t he have wanted to fight for her? “I proposed. She accepted. I shipped out not long after, and she waited maybe a fortnight before she shacked up with someone else.”

  “Oh, Gabriel, I’m sorry.” She looked outraged on his behalf.

  Her sympathy made him uncomfortable. “It was probably for the best anyway. A bloke like me isn’t suited for long-term relationships.”

  “Why not?”

  The simple question sent his mind careening into places he would have rather avoided. He didn’t want to think about how he hadn’t been good enough to tempt Franny into fidelity. The woman had wanted the house, the money, and the social status Gabriel and his family connections could give her, but not Gabriel himself. No matter how drawn he was to Anne, it was pure foolishness to hope she could truly be any different. She had already made gross assumptions about him based on his job and his living situation by alluding to the fact that she didn’t think her fancy gathering would be his type of party.

  Except she really didn’t seem like that sort of woman.

  He was drawn back to the moment by the light touch of her fingertips against his brow. She smoothed away the frown lines. “You don’t have to say any more, Gabriel. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  She looked so earnest he couldn’t resist brushing a kiss across her lips. One led to another, and then another, until he was making love to her with his mouth and reveling in the tiny noises of pleasure she made each time he rubbed his tongue alongside hers.

  He nudged her onto her back so he could rest between her legs, his groin pressed intimately against her mound. It was a beautiful sort of torture to be so close to her heat and yet not slip inside her moist center.

  Gabriel stared down into her dark eyes. “I need to be inside you again, Anne. I can’t seem to get enough of your sweet pussy.”

  He flexed his hips, nudging her entrance, and she arched her back.

  Still, he wanted the words. He’d taken her like an animal after their encounter with the street thugs. This time he would give her a say in the matter. “Is that a yes?”

  “God, yes!” she gasped. “Please!”

  She was so wet that the scent of her arousal blanketed his senses. He slid his cock deep inside her core and grew still. He watched her facial expressions in the dawn light, savoring the wonder on her face. Then he began to move within her body, and nothing else mattered.

  Anne knew her experience in the bedroom had been sadly lacking up to this point. Still, she couldn’t imagine ever finding anyone else to equal Gabriel. His strength surrounded her, enveloping her in a warm cocoon of acceptance and sensuality.

  He loomed above her, his cock lodged deep inside her body. Her whole world consisted of him. The spicy masculine scent of his skin, the feel of it sliding like silk against hers, the crisp hair on his legs tickling her calves, and the mind-numbing pleasure he brought her every time he thrust home. She gazed into his face. His eyes were open, watching her. The intimacy was almost unbearable, but she refused to give into shame and savored the depth of their connection instead.

  Tendrils of fiery sensation threaded through her veins. Her eyes were drawn briefly to the sight of his powerful abdomen as he braced his weight on his arms. With each stroke of his cock into her pussy, his belly clenched and rolled. His muscles glistened with sweat. She could see the shadowy place where their bodies were joined. It thrilled her to know this man was gleaning such pleasure from her. That he wanted to be with her.

  Heat lanced through her limbs. A heaviness settled below her belly as her orgasm uncoiled inside her body. She grabbed his biceps, needing an anchor in the storm threatening to sweep her away.

  “Let go, Anne,” he whispered. “Give me your pleasure. Let me feel it.”

  His words nudged her over the edge. Anne convulsed, feeling her pussy clench tightly around his shaft. He made an agonized sound. The guttural noise sent chills racing up and down her spine. She climaxed hard, endlessly, keeping her eyes on his face as though he could tether her to this world and keep her from flying over the edge of oblivion.

  His biceps bunched with coiled power as he lowered himself to brush a kiss against her lips. “You are so beautiful. Perfect.”

  And then he came, his face contorting as the muscles in his jaw clenched tight. He gave a rough thrust, sending a wave of aftershocks crashing through Anne. She felt a burst of heat inside her body and knew it was the hot spill of his semen. It felt so right. She couldn’t imagine anything to equal it. Ever.

  Why oh why did she fall for a man who didn’t do long-term relationships?

  The thought was a sobering one. Anne wanted a man to love forever. Someone who would love her back. Someone to share her life with. Yet the one guy she’d found who fit the bill had no interest in becoming her Prince Charming.

  He’d gone still, a frown creasing the smooth skin between his dark brows. “What are you thinking about?”

  His cock was softening, sliding from her opening as though it were retreating. Anne felt the remnants of sex coating the insides of her thighs. She’d always thought such things were icky. This was anything but. This was Gabriel.

  “Anne?”

  His tone suggested he wasn’t giving up. She decided there was no harm in being honest. “I don’t want this night to end.”

  He rolled to his side, taking her with him until she was nestled against his body with her head on his chest. His arms were locked around her in a way that suggested he wasn’t leaving any time soon. His sigh ruffled the damp curls straggling about her ears. “So don’t let it end. We’ll just stay in bed all day long.”

  Anne giggled, feeling like an errant child about to skip school. “Don’t you have to work?”

  “Eventually.” He gazed down at her, making her feel as though no one else existed in his world. “What about you? Don’t you have an empire to run?”

  “This place?” She waved a hand to indicate her loft and with it, the building. “Honestly it runs itself. The building manager only calls me if there’s an emergency or he needs approval for a large repair.”

  Gabriel stroked her cheek with his fingertip. “So what do you do all day, love?”

  And that was the pathetic part, wasn’t it? Anne was a useless piece of fluff. “Read? Paint? Organize my closet? Lately I’ve wasted a lot of time on my Internet dating profile.” She snapped her mouth closed, realizing too late where she’d been headed with her inane chatter.

  He didn’t seem bothered, which sort of bothered her in turn. She wanted him to say he didn’t like her dating, that he wanted her for himself. Except Gabriel Hawki
ns had already said he didn’t do long-term relationships. Letting the sudden silence linger, Anne clung to his body and tried to memorize every detail.

  “What is it you hope to find with this…Internet profile?” he asked, sounding as if he were truly curious.

  It was a valid question. Had she even asked it of herself? What did she hope to find? “I suppose I just want someone to share my life with.”

  He made a humming noise. “And what are you looking for in a life partner?”

  Lethargy was creeping over her limbs, and a yawn caught her completely by surprise. Her eyelids were becoming heavier each second, which was probably what made her so blunt. “I want a man that nobody else wants. That way I’ll never have to worry that he’s going to cheat on me.”

  Gabriel’s insides turned to ice as he processed her candid answer. He could tell she’d dozed off whether she’d meant to or not, and he had no intention of disturbing her rest. She was warm and supple against him, curled up like a napping kitten. He adjusted his hold and cuddled her as close as he dared while he processed her statement.

  The daft woman actually thought she would be happier with a man every other woman had rejected, just so she wouldn’t have to worry about losing him to someone else. It was a logical thought in its own way, but the lack of regard for herself in the matter was stunning. Did she actually believe she could be happy like that?

  It turned him cold to imagine a sensual creature like Anne tied to some ugly wanker who didn’t care about pleasing her in bed or building her confidence. Her life would be no better than it had been with her bastard ex-husband. Her gentle spirit would wither and die, and she’d wind up a bitter old woman.

  Why was this his problem? He was just passing through.

  Except for the first time in more years than he could count, Gabriel was, for better or worse, personally invested in a woman.

  Bloody hell.

  Settling in with Anne still tucked into his side, Gabriel closed his eyes and rested. He didn’t even try to pretend that it wasn’t a soul-satisfying experience.

  * * *

  Anne was jarred from deep sleep by the sound of the phone on her nightstand. It was like trying to rouse herself from the dead. She struggled upright only to realize that she was alone in her bed.

  Maybe it was Gabriel calling.

  She snatched up the landline, nearly falling out of bed. “Hello?” Even to her own ears her voice sounded overeager and desperate. Not good.

  “Hello, Anne?”

  The voice on the other end was male, but it was not Gabriel. Her hope fizzled away to nothing. “Yes?”

  “This is Stewart. We had dinner yesterday evening?”

  Yes, yes, this was the guy she was supposed to be excited about because he was potentially going to save her from going solo to her father’s retirement party. She mustered up some enthusiasm. “Of course, Stewart, how are you?”

  “I’m well, thanks.” There was an awkward pause. “I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch today. I’m going to be in your area showing property this afternoon, and I thought I could use the opportunity to spend some more time with you.” More awkward silence. “I really enjoyed myself at dinner.”

  Oh crap, I’m supposed to say the same. “Um, I did too! It was wonderful getting to know you.”

  “So shall we meet at, say, noon? There’s a brewery not far from your building that has a lovely outdoor patio,” Stewart pressed.

  Still groggy, Anne gazed wildly around until her eyes settled on her clock. It was only nine in the morning. “Yes, noon would be all right.”

  He sounded oddly triumphant. “Then I’ll see you at Millstadt at noon.”

  “Noon.” She heard him click off and then hung up the phone, feeling more than just a little let down.

  Anne squeaked when Gabriel suddenly popped his head into the bedroom. “I thought the building practically ran itself?”

  “You’re still here?” The words popped out before she could shut her mouth.

  She scrambled to pull the sheet up over her naked breasts as he leaned arrogantly against her door frame.

  The man was dressed only in a pair of snug boxer briefs. He looked stunning. Broad, tanned shoulders tapering down to a mouth-watering set of washboard abs, his flat stomach and sexy belly button just above the trail of dark hair that arrowed straight down below his waistband. He looked like a fantasy come to life.

  Her mouth opened without her brain’s input. “You could totally pose for the cover of a romance novel.”

  The grin that curved his sensual lips made her pussy ache. “You think so?”

  “I’d buy it. Even if the story sucked I’d lie here and just stare at the cover.” Anne covered her mouth and giggled like a teenager ogling the object of her crush.

  He pushed away from the door and headed back toward the kitchen.

  Anne’s giggle died. Had she offended him? Was he leaving? “Where are you going?”

  There was a clink and clatter from the direction of the kitchen but no answer. She was fighting her way free of the tangled sheets when Gabriel reappeared in her bedroom doorway with a tray in his hands.

  “I made you breakfast.”

  Anne swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “And there’s the cover image right there, complete with title.”

  Gabriel lounged on his side, savoring Anne’s enjoyment of his cooking. Franny had never wanted to eat in front of him. And she’d never been one to eat breakfast.

  He wasn’t going to think about Franny the Fanny.

  “I can’t believe you cooked all of this.” Anne mopped up a bit of egg with a corner of toast.

  Gabriel chuckled. Though her fridge was surprisingly well stocked, she could probably not even imagine how much food there was on a typical English breakfast table. “Technically we’re missing the black pudding, and I usually like kippers with my breakfast too.”

  She gave him a mischievous look. “So the toast, fried eggs, bacon, sausage—no wait, bangers—and tomato slices aren’t enough?”

  “A real fry-up usually has all that plus the black pudding, and maybe chips,” Gabriel mused. He snagged a slice of bacon off her plate.

  “You eat French fries for breakfast?” She looked aghast. “And what on earth is black pudding?”

  “Chips,” he corrected. “You Yanks eat hash browns. It’s all fried potato right? And I think the black pudding explanation would be better off left for another time.” Gabriel couldn’t imagine she’d find the thought of fried congealed pork blood mixed with a healthy dose of oatmeal to be an appetizing topic.

  Anne stabbed a tomato slice with her fork. Biting into the ripe red flesh, she closed her eyes and made a distinctive sound he’d decided meant “yum.” When her dark eyes opened, they sparkled bright. “I never would’ve thought to add tomatoes to a meal like this but they really balance out the flavor.” Her cheeks flushed. “Thank you for making me breakfast. Nobody has ever done that before.”

  She was sitting cross-legged on her bed in nothing more than a long T-shirt. Though he’d eaten more than his fair share while he’d been waiting for her to wake up, Gabriel was sharing Anne’s food with her. Mostly because he sensed it made her far more comfortable not to eat alone.

  He gazed around, taking in the details of her bedroom in the morning sunshine spilling from the plentiful windows. It was light and airy with a private balcony sporting a view of the river. Still, even though it was painted lavender with splashes of yellow and blue, he didn’t feel out of place. The maple furniture was solid, not dainty and overly feminine. Everything about the room and the rest of her loft made him feel right at home.

  “I’ve never had a man in this bedroom before.” She picked up her coffee mug and took a sip of the hot liquid. “Actually, I’ve never had a man inside my loft before.”

  Her confession surprised him. “Not even Stewart?”

  “Eavesdroppers rarely hear anything they like,” she quipped.

  He threw
his head back and laughed. He liked this new, confident Anne. Though she was hiding a look of chagrin behind her mug, he was pleasantly surprised she would have enough spunk to call him on his comment.

  She set the coffee back on the tray, nibbling her lower lip. He reached out and ran his thumb over its plump surface, tugging it out from between her teeth. Her smile sent a jolt straight to his cock. “I suppose you’re referring to the phone call I took earlier.”

  “From Stewart.” Gabriel should not care about this as much as he did. It was cause for concern.

  “Yes, from Stewart. He’s the man I went out with last night.” She seemed to zone out for just a moment. “He’s going to be in the area later today and wanted to grab lunch.”

  Gabriel glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning. “Then I should be going so you aren’t rushed to meet him at noon.”

  “Gabriel, I…”

  “It’s all right, Anne.” He rolled off the bed and onto his feet. “We’re both adults. We had a great time last night, and there’s no shame in admitting that.” He leaned down to brush one last kiss across her full lips. “I hope to see you around the Phoenix.”

  He didn’t allow himself to look back. Instead, he grabbed his clothes and hurriedly pulled them on. It was time to go. One night. No more. He couldn’t allow himself to get pulled any further in. It just wasn’t wise for either of them.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  It was noon, and Anne still couldn’t decide if she was angry or heartsick over the way she and Gabriel had parted. She stepped off the sidewalk and into the Millstadt Brewery without an ounce of anticipation for her second date with Stewart. It was truly sad. She’d waited eons to find a guy worth a second date only to have the experience upstaged by hot sex with a bouncer from the Phoenix Rising with a body to die for and a British accent that made her panties wet.

  Anne squeezed past a group of seven waiting for a table and approached the hostess stand. The young twenty-something in the jean shorts and snug black T-shirt looked up. Anne offered her a smile. “I’m meeting someone.”